By Our Correspondent, Damak, Nov. 26: A man died in Jhapa in a wild elephant attack on Friday.

Identified as 60-year-old Ram Bahadur Burja Magar, a resident of Ward No. 9 of Bhadrapur Municipality, he was attacked in Mechinagar Municipality Friday morning.

“Magar was attacked at around 6 am when he was picking tea leaves at a tea garden in Ward No. 14 of Mechinagar. He died on the spot,” said Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanuram Bhattarai.

SP Bhattarai, who is also the chief of Jhapa District Police, informed that the elephant had entered Nepal from India and was living in local forests.

Every year, many elephants enter Nepal from India when paddy and maize ripen. Elephants have been spotted in Damak, Mechinagar and other areas across Jhapa.

Over a decade, more than 50 individuals have died from the attacks from elephants in Jhapa, informed the Division Forest Office.

The district administration office argued that several steps had been taken to prevent human-animal conflict but still human casualties were recorded.

“A majority of settlements in Jhapa are under the risk of attack from animals like elephants. We are coordinating with concerned authorities for an effective plan,” said Somnath Portel, chief of Jhapa District Coordination Committee.

Meanwhile, the government has provided Rs. 1 million to the family of Padam Bahadur Khaptari Magar, 80, who died after being attacked by a wild elephant at Ward No. 7 in Mithila Municipality, Dhanusha, eight months ago.

According to our Janakpurdham correspondent, the Federal Ministry of Forests and Environment has provided relief to the families of the deceased through the District Forest Office, Dhanusha, as per the Wildlife Damage Relief Assistance Directive 2069.

Chief District Officer of Dhanusha Bandhu Prasad Bastola and Chief of Forest Division Office Dhanusha Sunil Kumar Karna jointly handed over a cheque of Rs. 1 million to Tukimaya Khaptri Magar, wife of the deceased, on Thursday.

After handing over the cheque, CDO Bastola lauded the government for its good work in assisting the families of the deceased and the work done by Sunil Kumar Karna of the Forest Division Office in preparing the necessary documents.

Tukimaya, the 74-year-old wife of the deceased Magar, said she was happy to receive the assistance from the government.

Magar was killed by a wild elephant at Ward No. 7 in Mithila Municipality of Dhanusha on March 29, 2021.

The programme was attended by various government officials, police personnel and victims of elephant attacks as well as locals.